Expansion joint



March 20, 1945.

R. T. MOORE ET AL EXPANSION JOINT Filed Aug. 4, 1942 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 NW 5 s 0 .EOA N. wmwww C T In M r W A E mp. 6 N

Patented Mar. 20 1945 EXPANSION JOINT Ralph T. Moore and Frank C. Harris, Lakewood, Ohio, assignors to The American MonoRail Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation oi Application August 4, 1942, Serial No. 453,548 14 Claims. (Cl. 104-89) This invention relates to improvements in overhead conveyor systems and more particularly to an improvement in tracks for suspended track conveyors.

Heretofore tracks for overhead conveyors have been provided wherein the track is suspended from the building beams. In modem buildings, and wherein large scale manufacturing is carried on, the conveyor track sometimes attains consider able length. Since the temperature in these buildings often varies with the weather, considerable difilculty has been encountered in the longer track runs due to expansion and contraction of the track. This difllculty has been increased by the use of extremely long tracks in some manufacturing plants.

Also in these long buildings allowance is made for the expansion and contraction of the buildin structure itself. That is the biulding' are built in sections with expansion joints between the sections. In cases of this kind the track being suspended from the building structure itself also moves with the structure and it is therefore desirable if not necessary to provide for an expansion joint between the adjoining sections of track at the point of junction of the building sections.

Although expansible connections for the tracks have heretofore been provided, there have been many undesirable features in such joints among It is another object of the invention to provide an expansion portion for a track which will allow the track to expand and contract with changes in temperature-and at the same time maintain the track continuous.

It is another object of our invention to provide an expansion section for track that does not interfere with the free operation of the conveyor trolleys thereover, and one wherein the rolling surface for the wheels is substantially smooth and continuous.

It is still another object of the invention to provide an improved suspended expansible track section which is capable of sustaining heavy loads and does'not introduce a weakened zone in the track system.

Still other objects of the invention and the invention itself will become more apparent from on the following description of an embodiment thereof which description is illustrated by the accompanying drawings and wherein;

Fig. 1 is a side elevational view of an expansible track section constructed according to our invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1- and looking in the direction of the ar- IOWS;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged elevational view of a portion of the expansible member;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged transverse section of the support and the upper portion of the expansible v I member; and

Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are views similar to that of Fig. 3- depicting modified forms of the inven-1 tion. "r.

As is well known the tracks for overhead conveyo systems are arranged to support trolleys and t ese tracks are normally supported by suitable hangers from beams. such as III, which may be a part of the regular building structure and may be arranged to extend substantially continuously in the direction of the conveyor or track system.

These hangers and the standard track construction are 'well known and are therefore not illustrated here. As previously explained, in long track runs it is desirable to provide means in the track allowing for the expansion and contraction expansion joints, the number of jointsv necessary in an installation being varied depending upon the length of the track run.

As above stated there is provided a supporting beam l0 which may be a conventional I beam secured to or a part of the building framework. As best shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the lower lateral flanges H of the I beam are provided with longitudinally spaced vertical openings therethrough arranged to receive bolts M. The bolts l4 extend through the apertures to a point spaced below the I beams with their heads holding a channel mem bar 6.

The channel member I6 is provided with downwardly extending flanges l1 and is also provided with guideways 20 on its under surface. Each guideway is formed by a flat narrow strip 2| which acts as a spacer and a wider strip 22 which may be tacked thereto by welding as at l9 and overhangs the narrow strip to provide a guideway when attached to the member l6. These composite strips are secured to the underside of the channel by the heads of the bolts l4 which extend through apertures in the strips, the channel being held in spaced relation to the flanges ll of the 'I beam ID by tubular spacers 23 disposed around the bolts l and between the bottom of the I beam and the top 0! the channel. The entire assembly comprising the guideways, channel member and I beam are all rigidly secured together by the bolts l4 which have nuts I! threaded in their ends and engaging the flanges of the I beam.

Although we have shown the guideways as being secured to the underside of a channel member, these guideways can just as well be secured directly to the bo'ttomside or the beam It. In this event the spacers 22 would not be needed. The construction illustrated merely shows how the track section can be so disposed as to be level with other track sections and'the invention is not limited to the track supports as being necessarily used with a channel member.

Since the strips 22 are wider than the spacer strips 2| guideways are provided thereby each of which opens toward the other for the reception or the upper flanges of the I shaped track member or section 30. These guideways are slightly larger both in thickness and width than the member which they are designed to support to provide for free sliding of the member therein and yet suiilciently tight to avoid undue looseness.

The track member or rail 30, as previously stated, is of I shaped cross section, the upper portion ll having laterally extending flanges flanges and the web and terminate at or near.

the bottom of the top flanges, those kerfs I being spaced between the other keri's 33. It is not necessary that the kerfs extend to the flanges but it is desirable that they extend relatively close thereto.

As can best be seen in Fig. 3 the first mentioned keri's designated at 33 divide the top flanges 3| into sections 34, extend down through the web 30 and terminate near the bottom flange 32. The other kerfs 36 extend through the bottom flanges 32 dividing it into sections 85 and upward through the web 30 terminating at or near the top flange sections 34.

The top portion of the track member is, as previously stated, slidably disposed in the guideways formed by strips 2l--22 on the underside of the channel member IS. The guideways thus allow longitudinal movement of the flange sections 34 but hold those sections against lateral movement and maintain them in aligned position.

Means is provided to permit longitudinal movement of the bottom flange portions 35 01' the track section or member 30 and yet hold them in proper aligned position so that the trolley will have a substantially uninterrupted smooth track over which to travel. That is, the trolley has a tendency to displace the sections lateral when traveling over these sections and therefore means is provided to hold the sectioni. against lateral displacement. To this end, plates are provid d.

as best shown in Fig. 4, each plate having a tongue 4| and a notch 42. The plates 40 are secured to the bottom 0! the track sections It by welding, as at 4!, and overlapping the upwardly extending kerfs I. with the tongue of one plate being disposed in the notch of an adjacent plate. It should be noted that the tongues and abutting notch portions are provided with ample clerance longitudinally of the track but that the tongues and notches are relatively close fitting on their lateral sides. Thus the sections of track 30 may move longitudinally but are held against lateral movement by the interlocking tongues and notches.

This expansible and contractible track section 30 is first constructed as described and .when it is installed between the ends of the adjacent track sections it is contracted longitudinally by exerting-pressure on its ends so that when once in place it exerts a continuous pressure against the ends of those track sections. The kerfs all partially close up an equal amount in the manner oi the convolutions of a spring. This causes the kerfs to open equally upon contraction of the main track section and assures that one keri' will not be open farther than the others.

It will thus be seen that upon movement due to expansion or contraction of the main track or the building the kerfs 33-26 may open or close and at the same time the track 20 is still an integral member. The width oi the beam is relatively large compared to the size of the kerfs and but 'very little bending occurs which is distributed over relatively wide areas and is well within the elastic limits of the material. The lower portions 35 remain in alignment furnishing an efllcient track over which the trolley can travel without interruption.

Means maybe provided for furnishing an uninterrupted current supply for the electrically driven crane or trolley. The conductor bars 50 are supported on the side of the main track by insulated brackets 5|. As best shown in Fig. 1 the conductor bars, which are generally of channel shape, have secured thereto extension bars 52 which are secured in sliding engagement with the conductor bars il on the right, the bars on the right being provided with slots 53 and the extension bars being held thereto by rivets or screws 54 which are anchored therein and the heads of which engage the upper surface of the conductor bars with the bodies extending through the slots into the solid bars 52. This permits the extension bars with the screws to telescope in sliding engagement with the bars 5|. Suitable bonds 55 are provided for the conductor bars I! to prevent arcing of the current at the sliding joints.

The bonds illustrated in the drawings do not necessarily have to be in the position shown. In actual practice they may be placed in some other position such as in back of the conductor bars where they will not interfere with the free travel oi the trolley.

In Fig. 6 we have shown a slight modification of the track 30 shown in Figs. 1 to 3, inclusive. In this instance the plates 40 are replaced by rectangular plates 48 welded at 49 to each side of the webs and overlapping kerfs 36. These plates thus permit free longitudinal movement of the sections of track 30 but limitv the lateral movement thereof.

In Fig. 'I we have shown another modification of our invention wherein the expansion member is made up of separate sections. That is, in-

stead of a single member divided by the kerfs 33 and 38 the member is made up of separate short sections 60, each of substantial I shaped cross-section. The sections are tied together by pairs of rectangular plates 8| which are welded to each side of the web near the top and bottom flanges. These plates are provided with portions ila which overlap the next adjacent section or in the case of the end the regular track section. Near their unwelded ends eachplate it carries a cross pin 62 which extends through a hole 63 in the web oi the next adjacent section. It should be noted that the holes 63 in the webs, through which the cross pins extend are larger than the cross pins to allow a predetermined amount of lost motion between the connections.

The sections 3| are thus linked together but the possible movement therebetween is held within predetermined limits. The built-up section is supported from the underside of a beam in guideways in a similar manner to that described in the embodiment of Fig. 1. The plates 6| prevent lateral displacement of the sections and the guideways hold them in horizontal alignment. In operation the main track sections may move toward or apart from each other due to expansion or contraction, and the parts of the'composite expansion section allow relative move ment therebetween but maintain a relatively smooth substantially unbroken track surface. Since the lost motion is limited between the parts no one section can move greater than a predetermined distance and hence the gaps in the tracks are limited to a certain maximum size. Suitable bonding means may be provided as described for the first embodiment.

Fig. 8 shows another modification of aninvention which is similar to that of Fig. 7. In this case the expansion member is made up of a plurality of separate sections H and 12. sections '12 carry pairs of rectangular plates 13 which are welded to the web thereof at-ll and extend beyond the ends thereof overlapping the adjacent sections 1 I. These plates like the shorter plates of Fig. 7 are-disposed adjacent to the top and bottom flanges of the sections and carry cross pins 16 which extend through openings 11 in the sections II. The openings in the sections H are larger in diameter than the cross pins and the device operates in substantially the same manner as that described.

It will be understood from the foregoing description that each of the above'described rails comprises a plurality of portions which are movable longitudinally relative to each other to a limited extent and that such longitudinal movement is permitted while relative lateral movement is prevented, that is, while the portions are maintained in longitudinal alignment by the rigid means which are connected to the portions. In the rail of Fig. 3 the rail portions are defined in part by kerfs 33 and 36 and the rigid members 4!! permit relative longitudinal movement of those portions while maintaining them in longitudinal alignment. In the modification of Fig. 6 the rail likewise has portionsdefined in part by kerfs 33 and 36 and rigid members 48 permit relative longitudinal movement of the parts while maintaining them in alignment. In the modifications of Figs. 7 and 8 the rail portions are entirely separated from each other but the rigid members 60 and 13, which are fixedly I The' ill

permit longitudinal movement of those portions while maintaining them in alignment.

Having thus described this invention so that others skilled in the art may be able to understand and practice the same, we state that what we desire to secure by Letters Patent is defined in what is claimed.

We claim:

1. An expansion joint for a conveyor track including a supporting member, guideways carried by said supporting member, an expansible track section carried by the guideways and comprising a member formed with a series of kerfs extending through the top of the member and terminating spaced from thebottom and dividing said member into spaced sections said member being formed with a second series of kerfs extending through the bottom of said member between said other kerfs and terminating spaced from the top of said member.

2 An expansion joint for a conveyor track includin a supporting member, guideways carried by said supporting member, an expansible track section carried by the guideways and comprising a member formed with a series of kerfs extending through the top of the member and terminating spaced from the bottom and dividing said member into spaced sections said member being formed with a second series of kerfs extending through the bottom of said member between said other kerfs and terminating spaced from the top of said member, said guideways being disposed about the top portions ofisaid' member and holding the same against relative lateral displace ment.

3. An expansion joint for a conveyor track including a supporting member, guideways carried by said supporting member, an expansible track section carried by the guideways and comprising a member formed with a series of kerfs extending through the top of the member and terminating spaced from the bottom and dividing said member into spaced sections said member being formed with a second series of kerfs extending through the bottom of said member between said other kerfs and terminating spaced from the top of said member, and-means on the bottom of said member providing interlocking engagement for said sections to hold the bottom sections against relative lateral displacement,

4. An' expansion joint for overhead transportation systems including a supporting member, guideways carried by said supporting member,

and an expansible track section, said section in-- therebelow, said section being provided with kerfs extending in alternate arrangement from the top and bottom \thereof partially through said section, said guideways holding the upper portions of said member in longitudinal alignment and means for holding the bottom sections of said member in longitudinal alignment.

6. An expansion joint for overhead transportation systems including a supporting member,

guideways carried by said supporting member, and an expansible track section, said section including an upper portion for slidable supporting engagement in said guideways, a lower track section disposed therebelow, said section being provided with keri's extending in alternate arrangement from the top and bottom thereof, said guideways holding the upper portions of said member against relative lateral displacement and means for holding the bottom portions against relative lateral displacement comprising interlocking members secured to said bottom portions.

7. An expansion joint for overhead transportation systems including a supporting member. a pair of slide ways provided on the underside of the supporting member each comprising a flat strip held in spaced relation from the bottom of the member by spacer bars, a car supporting member disposed in said slide ways and comprising an elongated member of I-shaped cross-section and having upper and lower laterally extending parallel portions connected in spaced relation by a web portion, said member being formed with alternate spaced slots extending through the upper laterally extending portions downward through the web and terminating at the lower laterally spaced portions and alternate slots extending upwardly through the lower laterally extending portions and terminatin at the upper laterally extending portions, said upper laterally extending portions of said member being slidably journalled in said slide ways and held against relative lateral displacement thereby, said lower latei'ally extending portions being provided with tongue and socket members holding said lower laterally extending portions against relative lateral displacement.

8. An expansion track joint for overhead transportation systems comprising an elongated main supporting member, a sub-support suspended therefromand comprising a channel beam connected to the main member by bolts, the underface of said channel member having secured thereto a pair of slide ways each comprising a flat strip held in spaced relation from the bottom of the channel by spacer bars, said bolts securing the main supporting member, the channel member and slide ways together, a car wheel supporting member carried by said slideways and including an elongated member of I-shaped cross-section and comprising upper and lower laterally extending parallel portions connected in spaced relation by a web portion, said member being formed with spaced slots extending through the upper laterally extending portions downward through the web and terminating at the lower laterally spaced portions and alternate slots extending upwardly through the lower laterally extending portions and terminating at the upper laterally extending portion, said upper laterally extending portions of said member being slidably journalled in said slideways but held against relative lateral displacement thereby, said lower laterally extending portions being provided with tongues and socket members holding said lower portions against relative lateral displacement. 7

9. An expansion joint for an overhead conveyor rail including a rail support having a longitudinal guideway, a longitudinally expansible and contractible rail slidably movable in said guideway, said rail having portions defined in part by keri's extending alternately from its top nearly to its bottom and from its bottom nearly to its top, and rigid means attached to said rail and spanning said kerfs for permitting relative longitudinal movement of said portions while maintaining said portions in longitudinal alignment.

10. An expansion joint for an overhead conveyor rail including a rail support having a longitudinal guideway, a longitudinally expansible and contractible rail slidably movable in said guideway, said rail having portions defined in part by kerfs extending alternately from its top nearly to its bottom and from its bottom nearly to its top, and rigid means attached to the underside of said rail and spanning said kerfs for permitting relative longitudinal movement of said portions while maintaining the portions in longitudinal alignment; said means having interengaging tongues and notches.

11. An expansion joint for an overhead conveyor rail including a rail support having a longitudinal guideway, a longitudinally expansible and contractible rail slidably movable in said guideway, said rail having portions defined in part by kerfs extending alternately from its top nearly to its bottom and from its bottom nearly to its top, and rigid means attached to the sides of said rail and spanning said kerfs for permitting relative longitudinal movement of said portions while maintaining the portions in longitudinal alignment.

12. An expansion joint for an overhead conveyor rail including a rail support having a longitudinal guideway, a longitudinally expansible and contractible rail slidably movable in said guideway, said rail comprising more than two separate portions movable longitudinally relative to each other, and rigid means fixedly connected to certain of said portions and having lost motion connections to adjacent portions for permitting limited, relative longitudinal movement of the portions while maintaining said portions in longitudinal alignment.

13. An expansion joint for an overhead conveyor rail including a rail support having 9. iongitudinal guideway, a longitudinally expansible and contractible rail slidably movable in said guideway, said rail comprising more than two portions movable in a longitudinal direction relative to each other, and rigid means connected to said portions for permittinglimited, relative longitudinal movement thereof while maintaining said portions in longitudinal alignment.

14. A longitudinally expansible and contractible overhead conveyor rail section comprising more than two portions movable in a longitudinal direction relative to each other, and rigid means attached to adjacent portions for permitting relative longitudinal movement of said portions while maintaining them in longitudinal-alignment.

RALPH T. MOORE. FRANK C. HARRIS. 

